


let sleeping dragons lie

by the_chaotic_lesbian



Series: nabatean au [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Dragon AU, Gen, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), The Great Fodlan Bakeoff, and also both dragons, in which i play with canon, linhardt and ferdinand are brothers, nabatean au, no beta we die like Glenn, the fodlan bakeoff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:35:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24646543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_chaotic_lesbian/pseuds/the_chaotic_lesbian
Summary: He’s not entirely sure what he’s expecting when they approach the black eagles classroom.Miraculously, he hasn’t ran into his father yet. He saw his sister on the docks when they’d been given the grand tour - she looked almost the same as he remembered her, if a little bit older - but she hadn’t seen him. And thank the goddess for that, he doesn’t know what he’d say to her. Hi Cethleann, sorry for disappearing for over a thousand years, do you still remember I existed?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~in which i took the fact that linhardt is a sleepy, green haired mage who hides his ears and has the crest of cethleann and ran with it
Relationships: Caspar von Bergliez & Linhardt von Hevring, Ferdinand von Aegir & Linhardt von Hevring
Series: nabatean au [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1781968
Comments: 11
Kudos: 57





	let sleeping dragons lie

**Author's Note:**

> this is my bakeoff fic! im not very good at writing under a time constraint, and I didnt hit all the themes, but this was fun regardless. Expect more out of this au, because boy do i have things planned. Enjoy!!!!

He hadn’t meant to stay away for so long. 

Linhardt stares up at the monastery with a grimace, swallows. He’s not looking forward to this. It was a dumb idea. It was a really, really dumb idea. Why did he agree to this? 

“Aren’t you excited?!” 

Oh, that’s why. 

Linhardt turns his head, stares at Caspar. Young little Caspar, who was eagerly charging into this place looking for a fight, for something to prove. Linhardt doesn’t have the energy to tell him that it’s a pointless endeavor. 

“Not really,” he shrugs, and he allows Caspar to take his hand, swinging it in place as they head towards the monastery, “I’m going to have to face my family here. They probably hate me.” 

“Nonsense!” Caspar nudges at Linhardt’s shoulder, and he’s so energetic, so eager. Linhardt wonders how it’s possible to have so much energy. He’s jealous, almost, except sometimes it reminds him far too much of his brother. 

His brother… 

Linhardt shakes his head. Nevermind those thoughts. 

“They’re gonna be so happy to see you,” Caspar says, and he squeezes Linhardt’s hand, reassuringly. “How long did you say you were asleep for?” 

“I’m not actually sure,” Linhardt hums, and now they’re walking into the marketplace, right through the gates. A guard stops them for a minute, and it’s almost panic-inducing, the way Linhardt sucks in a breath, hopes that his falsified records are enough, and they  _ must  _ be because the guard waves them both through. 

They’re both becoming students of the Black Eagles house. Caspar, as the second son of the newly titled Count von Bergliez, is expected to be there. Linhardt, with his faked title - thank the goddess that Count von Hevring really does have a history with the crest of cethleann and a reclusive child who has never been seen - is not. He doesn’t actually know too much about the officer’s academy, except that it was a project his father and aunt worked on together, which means they will  _ both  _ be here. 

Ugh. 

He doesn’t know about his siblings. Cethleann, he’s sure will be here. His father had been attached to her, the spitting image of the mother they’d lost, and Linhardt has no doubts that she will be wherever he is. His brother, however… 

…he has no idea.

“Come on, Lin, we gotta go get our uniforms and meet our classmates!” Caspar is tugging him along eagerly, practically bouncing on his feet. “I heard that princess Edelgard is really strong, I can’t wait to meet her. I’ve met some of the other nobles that are coming here, but to train with them? I’m gonna be the strongest ever, you’ll see!” 

Linhardt listens, amusedly, and he nods. “Yes, yes, Caspar, the strongest.” He’s certainly glad that  _ one of them  _ had some optimism. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He’s not entirely sure what he’s expecting when they approach the black eagles classroom. 

Miraculously, he hasn’t ran into his father yet. He saw his sister on the docks when they’d been given the grand tour - she looked almost the same as he remembered her, if a little bit older - but she hadn’t seen him. And thank the goddess for that, he doesn’t know what he’d say to her.  _ Hi Cethleann, sorry for disappearing for over a thousand years, do you still remember I existed?  _

The classroom feels empty, with only eight students in the roster. Their professor hasn’t shown up yet, so the house leader is still in charge. Edelgard von Hresvelg, heir to the Adrestian Empire. Linhardt can tell that she’s going to be strict, and he’s not exactly looking forward to it. 

“Introductions are in order,” she says, standing at the front of the classroom. “If we’re going to be in a class for a year, we might as well get to know each other.” 

“A wonderful idea, Lady Edelgard,” the tall dark one next to her says. He dwarfs her, and Linhardt eyes him curiously. Hmph. This will be interesting. A real test of his faked heritage. 

Edelgard clears her throat. “Ah. Yes. Thank you Hubert.” She sweeps that cold gaze of hers across the classroom, eyes dark and accusing. “As most of you know, I am Edelgard von Hresvelg. However, such formalities are not needed here. We’re classmates here, nothing more.” 

The man at her side - Hubert, she had called him - places a hand on her shoulder, gaze dark. “Hubert von Vestra.” It’s all he says, and from the reactions of the people around him, that’s all he needs. 

Another classmate clears his throat, and all attention is on him now. “I am Ferdinand von Aegir, the prime minister’s son.” He sounds over-confident, and yet that voice is almost familiar. 

“Dorothea Arnault. It’s a pleasure to meet all of you.” The woman who had spoken winks at them, and Linhardt yawns. He’s glad he’s in the back, and not drawing attention to himself. 

“Come on dearie, introduce yourself,” Dorothea says to someone out of Linhardt’s line of sight. 

There’s a squeak, and then a timid voice says, “Bernadetta von Varley. Can I be done now?” 

Goddess, this is so boring. Linhardt yawns again. Maybe he can take another nap… he’s just gone to lay his head down when Caspar smacks his arm, none-too lightly. 

“Oh I guess it’s my turn,” Linhardt really couldn’t care less, “Linhardt von Hevring.” 

“Linhardt?” And Ferdinand is looking at him with wide eyes, and it looks familiar, and…. 

...  _ oh.  _

_ Oh fuck . _

Nobody else questions him, and Linhardt pointedly looks away. Fuck. What’s he supposed to do about this? 

“Petra Macneary,” says the next person, interrupting whatever Ferdinand would’ve said. “Forgive me if my speaking is not proper. I have… I am still learning.” Her accent is foreign, pleasant. 

Which just leaves Caspar, who gives the class a blinding smile. It was that smile that got Linhardt to leave his comfy cave, to come to the monastery. “Caspar von Bergliez! I can’t wait to train together, this is gonna be so fun.” 

And introductions are over, and Linhardt wants to run away, but he  _ can’t.  _

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He tries to escape it. 

Really, he does. 

He links arms with Caspar, allows his friend to drag him back to the dormitories. Caspar’s room is upstairs, but Linhardt had specifically denoted a first floor bedroom. Too much work, walking up and down stairs all the time. 

“Linhardt!” 

Linhardt groans, and he gives Caspar a wide-eyed look of fear.  _ Save me,  _ that look says. Caspar isn’t looking at him. Caspar is smiling at Ferdinand, who pants from running to catch up to them. 

“Heya Ferdinand,” Caspar greets, and Linhardt wants to sink into the ground. 

“Caspar,” and Ferdinand is smiling something menacing, “would you mind if I steal Linhardt for a moment?” 

Caspar still is not looking at him. Goddess. Can he disappear right now? 

“Sure thing!” And Caspar squeezes his arm before releasing it, “I saw some cats earlier, I’m gonna go see if I can find one. Have fun!” He gives Linhardt the widest smile, and Linhardt wishes his friend weren’t so dense. And then he’s skipping away, and Ferdinand and Linhardt are alone. 

Nobody else is in the courtyard, and that’s why Ferdinand steps in, brazenly brushes the hair from Linhardt’s face to reveal his pointed ears. “It is you,” he says, awestruck, and he quickly brushes the hair down before the wrong person sees. 

Linhardt swallows. “It’s me.” 

Ferdinand - and that is his brother’s name, isn’t it? It’s been so long he’s forgotten - is as pale as a ghost, and his hand lingers on his face, trailing across his cheek in a way that’s almost romantic. 

“Linhardt…  _ Lin,  _ where have you been?” He sounds cross. Linhardt doesn’t like it when people are cross. 

“Sleeping,” he answers truthfully, swallowing as Ferdinand pulls away, eyes dark with emotions that Linhardt can’t read. “I meant to find you, I tried to go look for you, but I got lost on the way, and… well.” 

“Is that what happened?” Ferdinand crosses his arms, and there’s an anger in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. “Lin, what were you thinking? Father told us you just disappeared - no note, no words to anyone else, no nothing! We thought you were  _ dead! _ ”

Linhardt flinches at the tone, and he glances away. “I know,” he says, swallowing, “it was stupid. But I wasn’t thinking about getting lost and falling asleep. I was thinking about how I wanted my big brother.” 

Those words must strike something in Ferdinand, because then arms are wrapped around him, and Ferdinand is burying his head into Linhardt’s shoulder, hands clenching against the back of his uniform. 

“ _ Oh _ , my baby brother,” he whispers, voice a low murmur, “I am so very glad you are not dead, Linhardt. I missed you.” 

Linhardt stiffens, and then melts into the hug, curling his arms around his older brother awkwardly. He’s sure any outsiders would be morbidly curious about them, but he’s never particularly cared about how others view him. 

“Do Father and Flayn know that you are here?” Ferdinand asks when he pulls away, hands still curled around Linhardt’s shoulders. 

“Flayn?” 

“Ah, Cethleann. Here, both her and Father use different names. It simply would not do to share a name with the Saints, now would it?” Ferdinand chuckles. 

“Oh,” Linhardt pauses, and then shakes his head, “I was...avoiding them. I wasn’t sure what they would say.” 

“Well, we simply must go tell Father!” And Ferdinand is tugging on his arm, demanding, and Linhardt stubbornly stays put. He doesn’t want to face his father. He doesn’t want to hear that bitter disapproval. Not without someone at his side. Like Caspar. 

“I…” Linhardt trails off, and he glances away, nervous. “What if he’s angry with me?” 

“Oh Lin,” and then Ferdinand cups his cheek again, drawing his gaze forward, “he was so distraught when you left. Poor Cethleann had to bear the brunt of his grief, he hardly lets her out of his sight nowadays. I think seeing you will ease his mind. If you’re so worried, I will simply go with you and make sure he’s not too harsh.” Ferdinand smiles, and it’s so kind and loving, Linhardt feels a rise of  _ something  _ in his chest. 

“You’re too kind to me, Ferdinand,” he says, simply. 

“Nonsense!” And Ferdinand resumes dragging, but this time Linhardt allows himself to be dragged along, up towards the offices. This means going upstairs, which he hates, but… well. He’ll do it. 

“I’m your big brother,” he continues, squeezing Linhardt’s hand, “and I’m still going to take care of you. Even if you got taller than me. Goddess, when did that happen? That won’t do.” 

Linhardt laughs, and he shrugs, “whoops.” 

And he could get used to this, he thinks. It wasn’t nearly as bad as he thought it was going to be. He’s awake, he’s reunited with his brother, and he’s about to go talk to his father. 

How hard will it be? 


End file.
